It was announced on Thursday that the Iowa-backed collective Iowa Swarm would partner with the popular pizza chain Papa Johns to help benefit Hawkeye student-athletes in the NIL space.
“We at Papa Johns of Iowa are excited about our partnership with Swarm to support the Iowa men’s and women’s basketball teams,” Papa Johns of Iowa said in a statement. “This interactive partnership will benefit our communities, customers, and our team members. We feel that our values are in line with the Iowa basketball programs when it comes to commitment, superiority and the overall strive for excellence.”
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Iowa basketball players will participate in year-long promotions for Papa Johns. Hawkeye student-athletes will engage in meet-and-greets and advertise for Papa Johns on their social media accounts. They will also take part in giving back to the community — “Pizza with Purpose.”
“Our women’s basketball program is honored and thrilled by the support being provided by Matt Donaldson and Papa Johns Pizza of Iowa.” Women’s head coach Lisa Bluder said in a statement. “It is an exciting time for our student-athletes to be engaged in communities across the state largely thanks to support like this. Our women are excited to build new relationships and grow the partnership with Papa Johns!”
Both Iowa basketball programs are coming off very successful seasons.
The men’s basketball program finished the season 19-14 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament before losing to Auburn in the Round of 64.
When it comes to NIL, men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery recently sounded the alarm about agents targeting players not already in the transfer portal.
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Meanwhile, on the women’s side, who could forget about the Lady Hawkeyes’ run to the NCAA title game before losing to LSU.
The Swarm Collective was established last July, and it works with Iowa men’s and women’s basketball as well as football student-athletes to forge connections with local charities and nonprofits, business owners, and the surrounding communities while compensating student-athletes for their charitable efforts.
